Jardín de Cactus

The Jardin de Cactus was the last work of Cesar Manrique, a symbol of the island's history where one can see more than 10,000 cacti in the setting of a converted quarry, which has the form of an amphitheatre.

The Jardín de Cactus is found on the outskirts of Guatiza, on the road to Mala. It is in this area where during more than a century the cochineal beetle has been cultivated - an insect which lives in the cactus and whose larva are used to produce the valuable natural colorant, cochineal.

From the road, one can easily recognise the entrance to the cactus garden, as there rises up an 8 metre sculpture of a cactus.

In this tourist centre, an abandoned 'rofe' (volcanic ash) quarry in the shape of an amphitheatre has been used, in whose terraces one can admire more than 10,000 different kinds of cacti from the Canary Islands, America and Madagascar.

In the centre, stick up stone monoliths that complement the design of the garden. On one side, rises up an old windmill, restored in 1973 by Manrique, in which is produced 'gofio' (corn flour), consumed by the islanders' ancestors. The garden offers visitors various services and a bar-restaurant.